God's Own Medicine is the debut studio album by the English gothic rock band The Mission. It was released in November 1986 under Mercury Records. The original LP version contains 10 songs.[2] The CD and cassette versions had the songs "Blood Brother" and "Island in the Stream" added.[3][4] Both had previously appeared on the "III" (Stay With Me) single.[5] The album peaked at number 14 on the UK Charts.[6]
| God's Own Medicine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 10 November 1986[1] | |||
| Recorded | August–September 1986 | |||
| Studio | Ridge Farm and Utopia Studios | |||
| Genre | Gothic rock | |||
| Length | 57:41 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Tim Palmer, The Mission | |||
| The Mission chronology | ||||
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| The Mission studio album chronology | ||||
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| Singles from God's Own Medicine | ||||
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Background
editThe band had spent much of 1986 touring around Europe and had performed two radio broadcasts for the BBC. In the summer of that year, they signed with Phonogram Records after releasing two independent singles. Much of the material had featured on the tour and the band completed Gods Own Medicine within a period of four weeks.[7] The record was produced by Tim Palmer and the Mission and recorded at Ridge Farm and Utopia Studios.
Three singles were released from the album, "Stay With Me", "Wasteland" and "Severina".
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Wayne Hussey; all music is composed by Craig Adams, Mick Brown, Simon Hinkler and Wayne Hussey
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wasteland" | 5:42 |
| 2. | "Bridges Burning" | 4:08 |
| 3. | "Garden of Delight (Hereafter)" | 3:42 |
| 4. | "Stay With Me" | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Blood Brother" | 5:16 |
| 6. | "Let Sleeping Dogs Die" | 5:53 |
| 7. | "Sacrilege" | 4:45 |
| 8. | "Dance on Glass" | 5:10 |
| 9. | "And the Dance Goes On" | 4:10 |
| 10. | "Severina" | 4:15 |
| 11. | "Love Me to Death" | 4:38 |
| 12. | "Island in a Stream" | 5:25 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wasteland" | 5:42 |
| 2. | "Bridges Burning" | 4:08 |
| 3. | "Garden of Delight (Hereafter)" | 3:42 |
| 4. | "Stay With Me" | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Blood Brother" | 5:16 |
| 6. | "Let Sleeping Dogs Die" | 5:53 |
| 7. | "Sacrilege" | 4:45 |
| 8. | "Dance on Glass" | 5:10 |
| 9. | "And The Dance Goes On" | 4:10 |
| 10. | "Severina" | 4:15 |
| 11. | "Love You To Death" (Love Me To Death intro) | 1:25 |
| 12. | "Love Me To Death" | 4:38 |
| 13. | "Island In A Stream" | 5:25 |
| 14. | "Wishing Well" (Free cover) | 2:48 |
| 15. | "Wasteland" (anniversary mix) | 7:39 |
| 16. | "Severina" (Aqua-Marina mix) | 6:09 |
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
Writing for American publication Trouser Press, Ira Robbins described the album as a "dull and insipid guitar/keyboard/string bombast", and "a horrible amalgam of Led Zeppelin, Yes and Echo & the Bunnymen".[9] AllMusic described it as "the marker for goth rock's invasion of the U.K. charts for a good chunk of the late '80s".[8]
Reissue
editA remastered version appeared in June 2007 with four bonus tracks, including the original intro to "Love Me to Death" (previously available only on the "Wasteland" video-cd, and as a hidden track on the B side of the 12" single release of Severina) that had to be cut due to the time constraints of vinyl. Consequently, its insertion has not been taken into account in the track list of the remaster—listing the two tracks as "Love Me to Death (Original Full Length Version)"—and thus all tracks after eleven are mislabelled as being one track ahead of where they actually appear on the album.[10]
It was certified gold in the UK.[citation needed]
Personnel
editThe Mission
edit- Craig Adams – bass guitar, production
- Mick Brown – drums, production
- Simon Hinkler – guitars, keyboards, production
- Wayne Hussey – vocals, guitars, production[8]
Additional personnel
edit- Tim Palmer – production
- Julianne Regan – additional vocals
- Adam Peters – string arrangements
- The Leisure Process – sleeve design
- Sandy Ball – sleeve design
- KEV – mastering
Charts
edit| Chart (1986-87) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] | 59 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[12] | 30 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[13] | 14 |
| US Billboard 200[14] | 108 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[15] | Silver | 60,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Releases" (PDF). Record Mirror. 8 November 1986. p. 3. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Mission, The - Gods Own Medicine". Discogs. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "Mission, The - Gods Own Medicine". Discogs. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "Mission, The - Gods Own Medicine". Discogs. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "Mission, The - III". Discogs. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "GOD'S OWN MEDICINE". Official Charts. 22 November 1986. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ Roach, Martin (1993). Names Are For Tombstones, Baby. London: IMP. pp. 50–60.
- ^ a b c True, Chris. "God's Own Medicine – The Mission UK : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
- ^ Robbins, Ira. "trouserpress.com :: Mission (UK)". trouserpress.com. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
- ^ "Mission, The - Gods Own Medicine". Discogs. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Mission – Gods Own Medicine" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Mission – Gods Own Medicine". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "The Mission Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "British album certifications – The Mission – Gods own Medicine". British Phonographic Industry.
External links
edit- God's Own Medicine at Discogs (list of releases)